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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Mike Augliera: Boston Red Sox Pitching Prospect Talks Baseball

The Boston Red Sox have some of the better-known pitching
prospects in baseball with Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and Matt Barnes all
leading most peoples’ lists. It turns out that they are just the tip of the
iceberg when it comes to Boston’s farm system, as there are a number of other
promising young arms being developed, including last year’s fifth-round draft
choice, Mike Augliera.

The 22-year-old right-hander attended Old Bridge High
School in New Jersey. He later became a college star at Binghamton University,
where he is the all-time leader in wins (23) and innings (298.1). As a senior,
he led the NCAA with an 83/7 strikeout-to-walk ratio, showing his excellent
control.

According to an article by MLB.com’s
Evan Drellich, even Tim Sinicki, Augliera’s
college coach, is amazed by the type of pitcher the Red Sox prospect became: "The
evolution over the past four years has been remarkable, and he really is very
deserving of this opportunity. I thought he was going to be a good college
pitcher. He had a decent fastball in the kind of mid-80s range, decent
secondary stuff. [I] really kind of thought if he developed and worked like he
did, he'd turn into a really good college pitcher. I'd be lying if I said my
crystal ball told me he'd be a fifth-rounder. He's just gone way above and
beyond his expectations, and it's all because of his hard work."

SoxProspects.com describes
Augliera’s arsenal as including a high-80s fastball, an outstanding curveball
and a promising slider. However, his fastball velocity has crept into the low
90s and only made him that more dangerous on the mound. In addition to his
talent, Boston coveted Augliera in the fifth round because of his signability
as a college senior, which allowed them greater flexibility to sign some of
their other picks, like fourth-round pick, pitcher Ty Buttrey, who had the
option of attending college if he didn’t like Boston’s signing bonus offer.

Augliera had a 4.42 ERA in 15 games at short-season Lowell
during his inaugural pro season last year, but did strike out 10 batters per
nine innings. He has started 2013 with high Single-A Salem and is off to an
excellent start, going 3-0 with a 4.24 ERA in four starts. His strikeouts have
been cut to 5.4 per nine innings, but he is certainly making adjustments to
playing at a new level.

During a recent off-day due to a rainout, Augliera was
kind enough to answer some questions about his baseball career. Check out what
the Boston prospect had to say.

Mike Augliera
Interview:

If you could sit
down and pick the brain of any pitcher, current or former, who would that be
and why?: I would probably pick Greg Maddux. I
loved the way he pitched. He didn't throw the hardest, but he seemed to have a
plan for every batter and was fun to watch pitch. I would enjoy receiving some
tips from him on the finer things of getting hitters out.

Leading up to the
2012 MLB Draft, what kind of contact and recruiting were you getting from
different teams?: I was in contact
with a bunch of teams; some more interested than others. I would receive general
information letters, emails and phone calls from different teams. I didn't have
much leverage being a senior, so I was just happy to be getting any kind of
contact.

Can you run through
what your draft experience was like?: It was an amazing
experience; something that I try to relive in my head a lot. From the contact
with scouts at games, to the phone calls leading up to the draft, it was all a
very enjoyable time for me and family. On Day 2 of the draft, my family and friends
were over as we watched on the tv. There is no explanation for the variety of
emotions I felt that day. We were all anxious, excited, nervous, and in the end
it couldn't have played out any better.

What pitches do you
throw and which one do you hope to improve the most?: I throw a two-seam
and four-seam fastballs, circle changeup and a slider. I am always trying to
improve all of my pitches, but the one that I have spent the most time on since
the season started is my slider.

Minnesota Twins'
pitcher Scott Diamond is the only MLBer to come from your alma mater
Binghamton. Have you had any contact or advice from him?: Yes, I met Scott before he got called up to Minnesota a few
times when he would come back and work out at Binghamton. With the Red Sox and
Twins facilities both being in Fort Myers, Florida, we were able to grab dinner
one night in spring training.

What do you believe
sets you apart from other pitching prospects in the Red Sox organization?: With all of the very good pitching prospects that are in the Red
Sox organization, it is tough to set yourself apart. I do believe that with my combination
of command and work ethic I will continue to get better each time out there.
Being a college senior helps me in terms of having some more experience.

Have you connected
with any other Boston prospects since joining the organization?: Yes, I have made a lot of good friends in the organization since
I signed last June. I have met a lot of good people in my short time so far
with the Red Sox.

What has been the
most difficult part of adapting to life as a professional player?: Probably getting used to the daily grind of traveling, games and
getting yourself ready to play. It's a big difference from college when you
throw on weekends and have the weekdays off. We don't get many off days, so
there is a lot of work to make sure that your body is able to recover for each
game or start.

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